Fractured Memories
by MidnightAbyss
Summary: Kurama is remembering things that never happened. They seem like memories twisted into dreams. Are these dreams real ... or fake?
1. A Dream Or More?

**Memories or Dreams**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I really don't.**

**Note: I will be calling Kurama's stepfather, Hatanaka, simply because I don't know his first name. And I know, from the episodes, that Kurama's stepbrother is Kokoda. This is how I view it. I trust the episodes; they have never lied to me before. (They aren't edited.) So, if you don't like it, deal with it.**

**Chapter 1: A Dream…or More?**

Kurama was deep in thought as he walked down the street towards his home. Those recent dreams that plagued him every night seemed more like memories than anything. His thoughts were at the very first dream, wondering if there was some meaning to it.

(First Dream)

A woman was taking a 5-year old Yoko to some place deep within the woods. Yoko didn't dare question his mother, so instead he interested himself in the plants along the side of the path they were taking.

He didn't notice his mother stop and accidentally ran into her. The woman glared at the boy that bumped into her before continuing into a building. His mother asked for the leader of the group as someone took Yoko to wait in another room.

There were two other children in the room he was taken to. One had black hair back in a short ponytail and dark eyes. He also wore black clothes and had to black bat wings. The boy wore a small red and silver pendant hanging off of a silver chain.

The other had long, dark blue hair and a matching tail. She had fox ears and lime green eyes. She was wearing a small light blue kimono that was a little ripped at the edges. Both children were about Yoko's age.

They both looked up as the man brought Yoko in. The man had left Yoko in the room and Yoko had decided to know their names. The boy was Kuronue, but Kurama couldn't remember the girl's name.

(A few minutes later)

Another man came in the room claiming that Yoko now belonged to them. Yoko saw his mother leaving and called out to her, but she didn't even turn to look at him. She had sold him to those bandits, because he was a curse, a silver spirit fox. That was when Yoko realized that she hated him, and that he hated her.

(End Dream)

Kurama knew that was a memory, but in the memory he knew, there was no girl. Now, the dream was contradicting this and it confused Kurama. Which was true? Could it be that some part of his memory had been erased?

His house was coming up, so he shook the thoughts from his head before anyone could notice. As he came in, he noticed that his stepfather was preparing dinner so that it would be ready when his mother came home. He smiled at the thought. His life was so close to perfect. It felt nice to have a mother that actually cared about you.

He climbed upstairs to his room and changed out of his uniform. He managed to finish his homework before his mother got home. But now he was no longer distracted, and his thoughts flowed back to his dreams.

He didn't understand them. Were they trying to tell him something? What was the purpose behind them? There were so many unanswered questions in his head. But at that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by his mother calling him and his stepbrother down for dinner.

Dinner was pretty normal. His family talked with each other, his mother asked Kokoda about school, you know, normal things.

* * *

But Shiori, with her keen mother's eye, noticed that Suichi was being quieter than normal. She also noticed that he wasn't eating that much, just little bites here and there. He normally loved her cooking and scarfed it down. Noticing the emotionless expression on his face and a small look that said he wasn't really paying attention, she decided to take a chance and ask him what was wrong. He didn't seem to hear her; there wasn't even a flash of recognition in his eyes. 

"Suichi?" she called. Again, he didn't hear her. By now the rest of the family was watching him. He wasn't even moving anymore.

* * *

Those troubling thoughts were swarming in his head. He wasn't able to get rid of them. They were important somehow. Then another dream came. He tried to make it go away, at least until he was asleep. He managed to get his thoughts under control by the time his mother called for the third time. 

"Yes mother?" Kurama replied softly. "Is something wrong?" Shiori asked. "No, I'm fine. Just thinking," he replied.

* * *

"Dammit! Pay attention you stupid fox!" a shadow whispered. The figure was standing in a tree just outside the house's garden, peering through the dining room window. All you could see aboutth figurein the dark was its narrow, purple eyes and the shine of silver on each hip. 

The shadow continued grumbling about how dense the kitsune could be sometimes.


	2. Training, Second Dream

**I would like to thank neko kitkat, OneOutOfControlChick, and Demon of Evilness for the reviews. I would also like to thank Kurama's number1 girl, and kyo soma's girl for putting my storyon their favs. And thank you to Demon of Evilness for putting my storyon your alert.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I'm telling you, I don't! I don't know why you think I do, because I don't!**

Chapter 2: Training, Second Dream

Kurama walked down the street towards the park. What he needed right now was a nice, calm, peaceful walk.

The park was quiet, except for the laughter of the children. Kurama walked deeper into the park, away from where the other people were. Why? Well, his fan club was stalking him, so he made a quick escape into the trees. The group of girls stopped just beneath the tree that he was hiding in.

He figured that he shouldn't risk the fact that one could look up and see him in the tree, so he decided to travel through the trees to somewhere with less human inhabitants. He needed to talk to Hiei anyways.

The distant cries of 'Where'd Suichi go?' could be heard as Kurama jumped from tree to tree. He was vaguely reminded of his thieving days. He kept going until he came to one of the more secluded areas of the park. It was normally the place where Hiei hung out.

"What do you want, baka kitsune?" a deep voice asked. "Hello to you too, Hiei," Kurama said sarcastically. "Hn. So, what do you want?" Kurama sighed. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to come to Genkai's to train. Yusuke called me this morning about it." "And you agreed? What happened to 'I'm going to live a peaceful life in the Ningenkai from now on'?" "I have some stress to get rid of. Besides, living a peaceful life doesn't mean I can't train. Life never goes the way you want it to. So, are you coming?" Kurama asked, already having turned his back and started to walk away. "Hn." Kurama chuckled slightly. "I thought so."

* * *

"HEY GRANDMA! I'M BACK!" Yusuke yelled as he reached the top of the steps to Genkai's Temple. He hadn't even broken a sweat coming up, which was an astounding feat considering how many steps there were going up the mountain to her compound.

"SHUT UP, DIMWIT!" Genkai yelled as she reached the front of the courtyard. "Yeah, whatever ya old hag. Is Kurama here yet?" the black-haired Toushin asked. "No. You can wait for him inside," she growled. Yusuke glared at the pink-haired psychic, before nodding his head and starting across the courtyard towards the temple.

"There'll be no need to wait for me, Yusuke," Kurama said calmly. Yusuke began to look around frantically. "Huh? Kurama? Where are you!" Kurama chuckled and leaped down from the tree he had been hiding in, over to where the three fighters were.

"I'm right here, Yusuke. No need to panic," Kurama taunted, silently laughing at the ex-spirit detective's antics. "Yeah, yeah. Can we train now? I'm bored," Yusuke complained loudly.

"Sure. By the way, how's Keiko?" Kurama asked conversationally. "She's fine. Gets really excited whenever someone mentions plans for our wedding, though. Yesterday, she told me that some guy asked her why she would want to marry me. Said that I was a punk who never graduated because I went 'missing' for 3 years and then didn't even bother to make up the work, so why would she want to marry a loser like me. Keiko really told him off after he said that. She told him that I was on special business in a foreign country and that I found my dad while I was there. Then she slapped him a few times and walked off, leaving him in the dust," Yusuke said while they walked to the training grounds.

"Is that why you called me for training this morning?" Kurama asked. "Yup," Yusuke answered simply.

"Is shorty comin'?" the carrot-topped member of their party asked. He was tired of being left out of the conversation. "He said he might," Kurama replied. "Did he _really_ say that, or did you get that from a 'hn' again?" Yusuke asked accusingly slowly. "Alright, alright. I got it from a 'hn'. Happy now?" Kurama said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. They all had a few laughs at that.

"We're here," Genkai announced. Yusuke looked at the small training ring. "Don't you think this is a little small, Genkai? I mean, we're not weak little kids anymore. Besides, the rings for the Makai tournament were twice this size. If not bigger." Genkai turned around to glare at her successor. "Yes, well, you weren't training in that ring were you? You were fighting to rule over an entire world. Of course those fights would need a bigger ring. I want you to wear yourselves out physically."

"Why would we want to do that?" Yusuke asked angrily. He had wanted to get rid of some of this excess energy. "Because it will make you even more tired than if you trained with energy. You could go for days of training with the amount of energy you have and never get tired. This way you will get tired," she lectured. "But I wanted to get rid of some of this extra energy," Yusuke whined. "Stop whining. You can use small amounts of your energy, too." Yusuke sighed with relief.

"Alright. Now let's train!" Kuwabara exclaimed excitedly. "Hold it, dumbbell. You still need to divide into pairs, which means I'll train with one of you until Hiei decides to come and join us." Yusuke had already grabbed Kurama's arm and begun dragging him into the ring halfway through her speech, determined to not get stuck with someone he could beat blindfolded and tied up or his sadistic teacher intent on making him suffer. This order of disqualification left him with Kurama, which was completely fine by him since they were in the same level of power.

Genkai sighed as she realized that she was stuck with Kuwabara and hoped to any god that was listening that when Hiei got here, he wouldn't kill Kuwabara during training. The two pairs moved further away from each other and got into their fighting stances. They would start off with just physical fighting, and then they would move to using energy.

Half an hour went by and all they did was kick and punch at each other. Of course, it was even more amazing, since Kurama and Yusuke had been permitted to fight with their demon speed, while Genkai tried to get Kuwabara to move faster and swing more skillfully instead of his usual wild technique. By the time Genkai said stop, both Kurama and Yusuke were breathing hard with numerous bruises and sore spots on them. Yusuke was holding his stomach where Kurama had kicked him, while Kurama was nursing a large purple bruise on his arm. Kuwabara had a black eye from several of Genkai's punches and his face was slightly swollen and rather misshapen than normal.

Hiei had yet to appear; probably because he had started to come and then sensed that he would have to train with Kuwabara. Though it might help his self control, he would not do it unless his or Yukina's or maybe the fox's life depended on it. If it were Yusuke's life, Hiei would tell him to get out of this mess himself, seeing as he was the 'almighty' ex-spirit detective and demon lord. Genkai wasn't happy about this, but found that it would be a good chance to train Kuwabara without him getting killed.

Genkai herself was doing fine. She had no trouble fighting Kuwabara. "Geez, ya old hag! Can we fight with our energy now!" Yusuke yelled, obviously annoyed about having to hold back. "Yes, Dimwit. You can use your energy," Genkai stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

They each got in the battle positions. Kurama took out his rose whip, while Yusuke charged up his spirit energy. "Ya ready Kurama?" Yusuke yelled. Kurama nodded slightly and they each rushed towards the other.

Kurama swung his whip in a variety of patterns. Yusuke was barely able to dodge the first barrage of hits as he tried to get in a hit of his own. Yusuke pulled back his fist and it began to glow. Kurama saw this and easily managed to dodge. Yusuke chased Kurama around the ring while he dodged most of Yusuke's punches.

Kuwabara and Genkai decided that it would be safer to not train in the ring. They quickly moved out of the ring and a little further away from it. There, Genkai resumed beating Kuwabara to a bloody pulp. What they didn't notice was the shadow in the trees nearby.

Kurama quickly lashed out against Yusuke, giving him a few cuts on his arms and one on his cheek. Yusuke smeared the blood on his cheek as he subconsciously tried to wipe it away.

Yusuke had gotten in the way of that last attack in order to find an opening in Kurama's technique. His risk had been worth it. He noticed that Kurama leaned slightly to the right as he swiped at him. This left an opening in his left side. He made a mental note to tell Kurama that after training.

Kurama made a side swipe at Yusuke. He ducked and through a punch at Kurama's left side. The hit made brief contact as Kurama jumped back to try and avoid the hit.

As he landed, Yusuke made a carefully aimed and low level Spirit Gun blast. He didn't want to kill his friend, or seriously injure him, but he wanted to win this fight. Though, he realized that the power he had put into the blast was way too little to bring him victory. _Oh well, drag it out. Makes it more fun anyways_, he thought.

Kurama saw the blast just as he landed. _No time to dodge. Great, just great._ He felt the weak blast hit him and knew it wasn't enough to do any real damage. So why was he beginning to black out?

The colors around him blurred as he fell back. For some reason, everything was swirling. He could hear someone calling to him, another shaking him, but none of it mattered. He suddenly felt very tired. Now he could rest. He closed his eyes blearily. And the darkness swallowed him.

**

* * *

(Group's POV)**

He fell. Yusuke knew Kurama could've stood up to that easily. He shouldn't be falling. Genkai knew this too, as did Kuwabara. They all ran over to the fallen kitsune.

He wasn't getting up. Something was wrong, but what? Kurama had seemed fine all day, up until that point. They had watched him fall back, his eyes dull and glazed, as if he were no longer there. He had hit the ground, they expected him to get up, he did not. He lay there, no longer moving. They rushed forward to see if he was alright. They didn't know. They feared for their friend.

Yusuke tried to shake him awake and began calling out to him, Kuwabara did the same when he knelt down beside him. Genkai was carefully observing Kurama, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. They stared into those soulless eyes of his.

Hiei came over from the trees. He had tried to see what was going on from there, but was unsuccessful. He had come over to meet the sight of the other three trying to get Kurama to wake up.

His eyes slid closed and the rest of his body went limp. Genkai could think of nothing else to do but call Yukina and see if she knew what was wrong.

Yukina prepared a bed quickly and Yusuke carried Kurama in. Yukina tried to figure out what was wrong with him, but to no avail. She could find nothing. No serious injuries, no lack of power, absolutely nothing. There were the few bruises and cuts he'd gotten from training, but those weren't capable of making him collapse.

Yusuke sighed in resignation, deciding to wait until he woke up. Hiei, though, decided he would check his kitsune-friend's mind.

Hiei slowly walked to Kurama's side and knelt down. "Whatcha doin', Hiei?" Yusuke asked. "I'm checking his mind. It's the one thing we haven't checked," Hiei said blandly. Yusuke nodded his consent and sat down to watch.

_

* * *

Damn, the figure in the trees thought. __Can't let that Koorime get into his mind! It'll ruin my whole plan! _A mix of red and silver began to twirl around the figures fingers., the figure in the trees thought. A mix of red and silver began to twirl around the figures fingers.

* * *

Hiei began to get into Kurama's subconscious. He managed to catch a glimpse of a child Yoko, a small dark blue-haired vixen, and another boy with black hair and bat wings. They were playing in a meadow, until a large man came out of a hut nearby and began to kick them around, supposedly 'punishing' them for playing instead of working. He saw Yoko and the bat-boy try to protect the vixen, who was bleeding slightly, only to be kicked out of the way.

He wanted to see what was happening but something began to push him out of Kurama's subconscious.

Yusuke saw a purple light trying to push Hiei away from Kurama. Next, Hiei was thrown backwards into a wall. Yusuke quickly ran over to him. "Hiei! What happened?"

Hiei slowly got up. "I saw something in Kurama's mind; I think it was a memory. Something was pushing me out; someone doesn't want us to look in his mind." "But who? Kurama wouldn't have done that, he'd just tell you to get out."

"I don't know. It was obviously someone with mind powers. It felt like an A class demon," Hiei said, small, almost unnoticeable bits of fear dripping in those last words.

The room was very silent. All contemplating what could be going on. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to Koenma for a favor.

**MA: Alright! Finally I got the second chapter done! Now you all must review! REVIEW!**

**Hiei: You have no idea how long she's been wanting to write this.**

**MA: Shut up Hiei! Or I'll write a story where stuff like this happens to you!**

**Hiei: O.O REVIEW FOR MY SAKE, YOU BLASTED HUMANS!**

**MA: Thank you!**


	3. Excuses and Confusion

**Thank you to Forbiddensoul562, neko kitkat, Demon of Evilness, and OneOutOfControlChick. Demon of Evilness, what's it like to be stuck in a black hole with only a computer? Do you plan to kill Kuwabara when you get out? Did you know that a black hole has enough gravity to pull light? Forbiddensoul562, don't leave Hiei in the closet for too long, it's not good for him. Sorry for hurting your brain, but I must. If I get enough reviews for this I might just do a special story for Hiei.**

**THIS FIC USED TO BE MEMORIES OR DREAMS.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I just own the mangas, complete set of DVDs, trading cards, andthe lunch box. Soon, I will own plushies and keychains, then comes the wall scrolls and action figures! I must have it all! **

**Chapter 3: Excuses and Confusion**

"Koenma!" Yusuke roared as he slammed open the giant doors to Koenma's office. "Do you know what the hell is wrong with Kurama!"

"Something's wrong with Kurama?" Koenma asked blatantly. "Yes, something's wrong with Kurama! Why don't you check on him?" Yusuke suggested angrily.

Koenma flipped on his giant TV and hit a multitude of buttons. This resulted in bringing up a picture of Kurama. His face was twisted in pain and confusion, and he was breathing hard. Yukina and Genkai were there, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He was muttering something, but none of them could make it out.

"Yusuke," Koenma started angrily, "It looks to me as if Kurama is taking a nap and having a nightmare. Please explain why you are here. It better be good."

"Why the hell would he take a nap in the middle of training! Why don't you think about that! Then, why would he not wake up, no matter what we do!" Yusuke yelled in Koenma's face.

"First off, Yusuke, get a breathmint. Phew! Second, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT BEFORE?" Koenma yelled right back into Yusuke's face.

"YOU DIDN'T FRICKEN' ASK!" Yusuke yelled twice as loud as Koenma. They glared at each other for a moment, before Koenma's face drew up into a look of contemplation. "Oh. You have a point," Koenma said thoughtfully.

Yusuke blinked a few times from the surprise of actually winning that argument and Koenma actually agreeing with him. That most certainly was a shocker.

"Toddler, you should know that when I tried to enter his mind to find what may have happened, I briefly saw what appeared to be a memory before I was pushed out by another force. A force coming from a demon that, from what I could sense, is an A-class superior," Hiei stated darkly from the corner he was leaning against.

"WHAT? A-CLASS SUPERIOR? This is gonna be trouble." Koenma leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen with a picture of Kurama for a moment. "You're sure that it wasn't Kurama pushing you out of his mind? I mean, he does like his privacy," Koenma suggested meekly.

"No. I'm fairly sure it was an outside source. Besides, Kurama wouldn't expend that much power to get someone out of his mind, unless it was something he desperately wanted to keep to himself. Even if this was the case, he wouldn't have used so much power as to throw me into a wall."

"I dunno Hiei. We're probably just getting worked up about this. Maybe all these months without training have really gotten to him. Maybe he just blacked out when my Spirit Gun hit him, and his energy was protecting him while he's out," Yusuke sighed. This just wasn't his day. Now all he wanted to do was go home and sleep.

"You're the one who suggested we come here in the first place! Now you just want to forget all about it!" Hiei yelled.

"Yes! Yes I do! I'm sick of all this weird stuff happening to me and my friends! I just want to relax and be normal for a while! If I can help it, I'm not going to try to fight some 'evil demon' when we don't even have a clue as to what's going on! You can ask Kurama about it, but he'll deny it. I've noticed that he does that if it'll stop his friends from worrying about him. We're not going to get anything from him or anyone else, so let's put it behind us. If things do get serious, we'll confront Kurama or search for this mystery person, but no sooner," Yusuke compromised, for once actually being somewhat-wise.

"That would be advisable," Koenma stated, "I'll have some ogres look into it, but I want you to just pretend nothing happened. We don't want Kurama to get worked up over nothing. I'll keep an eye on him for today to see if anything else happens."

"Hn. Fine," Hiei growled, before flitting off.

"Thanks Koenma," Yusuke said gratefully. "You're welcome Yusuke."

* * *

"Hey look! He's wakin' up!" a deep, but funnily stupid voice yelled. Suddenly, Kurama felt very crowded. He cracked open his eyes to see what he thought was everyone he knew surrounding him. 

"Wha-what's going on?" Kurama asked as he sat up. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so miserable and confused. He didn't even understand why he felt that way.

"You blacked out man. Urameshi shot you with a puny Spirit Gun and you just blanked out. What happened to ya man?" Kuwabara asked, purposefully leaving out the fact that Hiei had been thrown through a wall when he tried to check the red-haired kitsune's mind. Yusuke had told him that they were dropping the subject for now.

"I-I don't know," Kurama stuttered. He was very confused as to why he had blacked out; he didn't even remember the Spirit Gun hitting him.

Then he remembered; he'd blacked out before the Spirit Gun could hit him. He'd had another dream, or memory, or something. He couldn't remember anything else, except the 'dream' itself.

His body tensed as he remembered the 'dream'. It had been awful. Just the thought of what had happened in it made him sick to his stomach.

"Excuse me," Kurama muttered as he ran out of the room and into the forest nearby—his safe haven.

As soon as he reached a clearing in the middle of the forest, he collapsed. He was panting and sweating, but all of this seemed to be surreal to him. His eyes were unfocused and his expression was detached. Tears formed in his eyes, but never fell. He lay there for what seemed to be hours.

He finally managed to sit up and regain some of his composure. The girl, they had harmed her. Though it wasn't shown in the 'dream', he knew that would scar. That long gash down the side of her arm would not just go away.

Her scream of agony still echoed in his ears, forbidding any relief of the already troublesome event. So much blood. And as Yoko in that dream, he hadn't been in any better shape after trying to protect her. Kuronue had been pretty cut up too. They all had suffered injuries, but he just couldn't get the picture of the girl out of his head. _It had seemed so real. Was it truly just a dream?_, he wondered.

Then there had been another 'dream'. _Kuronue, himself, and the girl were already much older. It was a little after Yoko had managed to get a good reputation as a thief. The girl was sprawled on the floor, bleeding from several large, but not deep, cuts. She wouldn't die from the cuts themselves, but she could die from all the blood loss. Yoko and Kuronue were desperately trying to stop the bleeding and help her. The worry in Yoko's eyes had been much greater than in Kuronue's. Why? Kurama couldn't figure out. They finally managed to get her to what appeared to be stable. Yoko had refused to leave her side, saying that Kuronue should get some rest since he had used so much energy trying to heal her. Kuronue had been hesitant, but finally left. Later, Yoko had fallen asleep and Kuronue came into the room with a mischievous look on his face. He lay Yoko down and threw a blanket over him, then sat down against the opposite wall. He was holding what appeared to be a bag of sleeping powder. He had said one thing before the 'dream' faded away. "I know you're worried about her, but you need your rest. You're the one who used too much energy trying to save her in the first place. You just think it's your fault. Don't blame yourself so much." He then began to make kissy faces and noises, which caused Yoko to hang him from the ceiling by a vine without waking up. Kuronue then screamed, yelled, and threatened for many hours._

Then the tears that had been held back for so many years began to fall from his eyes as he felt as though a piece of him had broken, or something inside him had finally cracked.

They searched desperately for him in the general direction that he had headed. But they all knew that it was in vain. If Kurama didn't want to be found, and was in a forest, then he would not be found. They all also knew better than to search in the general direction that he headed if he didn't want to be found. It was all a futile effort, but they had to do something, right?

They each decided to split up and head in different directions. They figured that with the five of them searching in different locations, they would find him eventually.

Yusuke wandered around the forest aimlessly. He called out his friend's name every few yards, hoping that he might be heard by the missing kitsune.

* * *

Kuwabara also wandered around aimlessly, well, almost aimlessly. He used his sixth sense to try and find Kurama. So it wasn't exactly aimlessly, but Kurama masked his energy and with the demonic aura of the forest to cover up the little bit of Kurama's energy, it was just as futile as walking around and yelling out the kitsune's name. But hey, he actually thought of something more practical than Yusuke, so he's not such an idiot, just intelligently impaired.

* * *

Genkai was running through the forest as fast as her legs could take her without wearing herself out very much (which was still pretty fast). She searched for even the faintest signs of Kurama's energy. Since she was so used to the aura of the forest, it made tracking him a little easier, but not much. She hadn't found a trace of him yet. But being the famous fox thief that he is, not many would even bother to attempt at what she was. 

Then she saw light tracks in the dirt ahead of her and stopped to look at them. It looked as though Kurama had been this way and slipped. Then she noticed tiny, circular dots in the dirt. _Tears_, she thought. _Was he…crying?_ She noticed that the tiny dots trailed up ahead, then turned to the right. She followed this now.

A few miles later, she noticed that no matter how much she turned, she always ended up heading in the same direction that she had been going a few moments before. Like Kurama had been heading somewhere, but was trying to keep others off of his track. She also noticed that Kurama had headed towards the area that they had Hiei checking. She decided to keep following the tear tracks; they would eventually lead her to Kurama.

* * *

Yukina, being very friendly with the woodland animals, asked them to help, since they seemed to understand her slightly. They helped her search throughout the area that she was designated to search. Though this did not help much either, seeing as he didn't seem to have come this way at all. None of the animals could pick up his scent.

* * *

Hiei jumped from tree to tree, not bothering to look above him, since he knew Kurama wouldn't be there. He looked down as he flitted through the branches. He was headed in a single direction, where he knew the fox to be somewhere along. Being an ex-thief himself and having the Jagan had helped him to somewhat locate his friend. He was luckier than the others, he knew around where to search for Kurama, but knew after Yusuke's outburst in Koenma's office that he was the only one who suspected something was really wrong with Kurama. 

He moved faster when he began to hear sounds and sense his friend's energy getting closer. Though when he arrived at the clearing, he wished he hadn't even searched. Seeing his best friend in such a state of weakness was just awful. The redhead was sobbing against his knees, curled up into a ball surrounded by the roots of the giant oak he was leaning up against.

He looked so lost, helpless, weak, and miserable. Hiei wanted to help him, but was afraid that Kurama would be angry at him. And angry at himself. There was no telling what Kurama would do if he knew that Hiei had seen him like this. Kurama could be so predictable at times; but there were other times when there was no telling what he would possibly do next. Kurama was just as much of a puzzle as he was.

Hiei was having trouble deciding whether to help the fox or not. He carefully weighed the possibilities of what might happen. Then decided that he wanted to help and find out why Kurama was like this. Besides, for once he could confuse the kitsune.

He jumped down from the tree he was in right in front of Kurama. "Kurama? What's wrong?" Hiei asked, doing his best to sound concerned, since he had never openly been concerned before. Kurama didn't answer, he didn't even move. Apparently he wasn't sobbing pitifully anymore. In fact, Hiei wasn't sure if he was still conscious.

"Kurama?" Hiei asked, now genuinely concerned. He walked to the redhead's side and kneeled next to him. He put his hand on the young man's shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Hiei?" Kurama moaned weakly. Not bothering to look up from his knees or even slightly turn his head. "Yeah, it's me. What's wrong with you?" Hiei asked again softly, doing his best to calm him down.

"It was awful. Such screams of agony. Something inside me just…broke. The sudden flood of emotions. It was so…overwhelming. I couldn't let the others see me like this, so I…left. But…it wasn't just some normal haunting nightmare. At that one point, I just…snapped. Something like that shouldn't cause such a fracture in my barriers, I've seen worse. It felt bigger than it should have been," Kurama said in between small sobs. Leaving Hiei to contemplate what Kurama was talking about and what he meant.

"I'm…sorry," Kurama said weakly, snapping Hiei out of his thoughts of what could have been so awful as to make Kurama like this.

"Sorry? For what?" Hiei said, feeling just too much pity for the fox. "For worrying everyone. Including you," Kurama said pathetically. Though Hiei couldn't see Kurama's face, he knew that it was tear-stained and depressing.

"It's ok Kurama. It's not your fault," Hiei said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with all this concern he was feeling. But he had to help his friend, right?

"Kurama," Hiei started uncomfortably, knowing this was a rather touchy subject, "What happened? What did you see? I need to know. Maybe then we can help you." Kurama froze. His hands had gone a deathly pale and Hiei guessed his face was too.

Underneath, Kurama's eyes were wide, and his mind calculating. The main questions that kept running through his mind were: _Should I tell him? Would he believe me? Would he understand, or just say I'm weak? Will he think I'm crazy? Should he know?_ It was all just too confusing.

Hiei saw Kurama's hands move to hold his head. For once, he regretted asking. "Stop it," Kurama whispered shakily. "Stop hesitating." "What?" Hiei asked. "Stop hesitating. If you want to look in my head, go ahead. I don't care anymore. Go…ahead."

Hiei's brows furrowed in frustration and confusion. _Should I try? Or will I get thrown back again? I don't want to scare Kurama. He's already frightened enough. He doesn't need to know that something's really wrong with him._ "No. That's not what I want to do," he answered, as he stood up and began to walk away. (Take this in some sicko way, and I will kill you.)

Kurama looked up in astonishment. Hiei heard Kurama move and turned to look at Kurama's face.

Sweat plastered some of the kitsune's brilliant red hair to the sides of his normally pale face, which was a ghostly white right now. Those normally calculating, sharp, cunning emerald eyes were dull and filled with pain, misery, and other emotions that weren't as prominent as the first two. There were tear streaks running down the sides of his face, and there were still fresh tears welled up in his eyes. He looked exhausted and weary. No wonder Kurama hadn't looked up when Hiei had come over.

Hiei stood there, completely frozen. His…friend. He was in pain. Hiei had never realized before, how much he cared for his friends. He would never admit it out loud. This could never be shown. Something like this was normally fatal in the Makai. But he did care, and his honor code refused to just leave Kurama there. Though, it was strange to call someone a friend for the first time.

There was another thing that was strange about this sight, Hiei noticed. Kurama, the age old, prideful kitsune, had been crying. After the Dark Tournament, he had seen Kurama as a brilliant fighter, capable of handling any problem and never showing emotion. He had admired Kurama for being able to keep his emotions in check so well, unlike himself, who had gotten angry at slight things. It felt wrong. Kurama wasn't supposed to cry. Not even Kuwabara cried. It wasn't right. Kurama never showed his emotions. What could torture him so much in such a small amount of time as to make him cry?

Kurama looked slightly off. Those dull eyes never ceased to scare Hiei. Kurama then collapsed against the tree, which seemed to hold him protectively. Hiei smirked at this. _The tree will take care of him. He'll be fine_, Hiei thought. Then he realized just how weird it sounded to entrust a tree with the safety of your best friend. He rolled his eyes before flitting off.

* * *

Genkai watched from behind a tree as Hiei questioned Kurama. She preferred to spy on them and let Hiei figure out his own head than to let him have her do the questioning and not figure out anything. 

She was deeply concerned about Kurama's words, realizing the fox was much more fragile than anyone else knew. That, and someone was planting things into the fox's mind.

_Kami, he looks awful. Maybe after this we should check him for a fever or something, he looks ill. I wonder how we're going to explain this to his mother,_ Genkai thought.

* * *

"Perfect," a dark figure whispered. "He's finally beginning to understand. He'd better figure it out soon though. Can't waste much more time. Took me too long to find both of them." The figure mentally cursed himself for a moment, before flitting off as Hiei had done just moments before.

**MA: Sorry it took me a while. But I just had to make this a long one. Now I want reviews!**

**Yusuke: I'm untied! YES!**

**MA: Yusuke, be a good boy and go fetch Kuwabara for me please.**

**Yusuke: You won't tie me back up once I get him, will you?**

**MA: (shifty eyes) No. Of course not.**

**Yusuke: (completely oblivious) Oh. Ok then! Here Kuwabara! I've got kitties! (off in distance) Kuwabara!**

**Kurama and Hiei: Idiot. (burst out laughing)**

**MA: Now. As soon as Yusuke gets back with Kuwabara, we can proceed with the torture.**

**Kurama and Hiei: (abruptly stop laughing) What torture? O.O**

**MA: (overly sweet voice) You'll see.**

**Kurama: Why must you torture me?**

**MA: Because everyone loves you and your past is unclear. A good mystery story drags in the reviewers. **

**Kurama: Oh. Still, I don't like to be tortured.**

**MA: Don't worry. I'm pretty sure it will have a happy ending. (very quietly) That is, until I start the sequel.**

**Kurama: What was that?\**

**MA: Oh nothing!**

**Hiei: Why am I being nice?**

**MA: Because you're trying to confuse Kurama and because you are just realizing exactly how much you care for your friends.**

**Hiei: Friends are a crutch for the weak. The detective, the fox, and the idiot are merely allies.**

**MA: That's what you always say, but we all know that deep down inside you think of them as friends and love them.**

**Hiei: How would you know this?**

**MA: Because I have the complete set of Yu Yu Hakusho DVDs! Mwahaha! (pops DVD #30 into TV that came out of nowhere)**

**Kurama and Hiei: Where did that come from?**

**MA: Shut up and watch.**

**Kurama and Hiei: Review so that she gets too distracted to make us watch! REVIEW!**


	4. Connections: Denial and Sensory

**Hallo. I would like to thank what-the911, Demon of Evilness, OneOutOfControlChick, Lonelyfox, and neko kitkat. Thank you all. I have finally updated, and hope to get the next chapter up soon. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 4: Connections: Denial and Sensory**

The following day, Kurama came back to the temple. He still looked awful though, and the others couldn't help but wonder what exactly was wrong with their friend. When asked about it, he refused to answer, saying he was fine and that nothing was wrong.

Yusuke let it drop, and though Kuwabara was a bit more stubborn, he too eventually gave up. But Kuwabara could sense something was wrong. He could sense misery and pain in his friend's emotions, underneath all those masks he set up. Kurama would force a smile and pretend to be happy, but Kuwabara saw it all due to his sixth sense. Though, he didn't show it when the kitsune was looking.

Kurama's actions of denial continued for the next few days. But almost everyone noticed that everything that he did that was remotely happy was faked or forced. Yukina didn't notice this because of her innocence, for which Kuwabara was glad that she didn't have to see Kurama silently suffering. Yusuke was being purposefully blind, as he had been before, then he got to the state where they were sure that it wasn't purposeful anymore, he just couldn't see it. Keiko had no idea, because Yusuke hadn't told her anything was happening and the last time she had visited was right before this started. Koenma didn't know because they weren't talking to him. Botan didn't know because she was too busy at the moment. (Apparently a plague had started somewhere in Africa, but other countries had yet to notice.)

Shizuru had come to the temple one day after hearing about the problem from her brother. Later, she wished she hadn't. She didn't like the vibes she was getting off of Kurama. Too much misery, sorrow, pain, and confusion for her to handle. Such pain and misery reminded her of the Dark Tournament, when she saw Sakyo be crushed under the collapsing stadium.

The night after, Kuwabara was twisting in his bed. _"Come catch me, Yoko!" a dark blue-haired girl said gleefully as she jumped on a stepping stone in the middle of a river just before a waterfall. Kuwabara had to admit, she was very pretty. _But not as pretty as my Yukina,_ he thought. Slim, tall, with a good build. Then he spotted a silver-haired guy coming after her. Then he realized this was a slightly younger-looking Yoko Kurama. "Careful! You might slip!" The girl paid him no mind though, she was in her own world, being there had enveloped her in such magnificent happiness. Yoko quickly came after, with a smirk on his face. Then his eyes widened in horror. The stone beneath the girl had just moved, and she had slipped. She seemed to have gone into shock. The rock-no, demon turtle-moved forward from being disturbed while sunbathing, and the girl fell backwards onto it. There was a sickening thud as her back hit the turtle, then she fell into the river and was carried towards the waterfall. Yoko was quickly running down the side, trying to get in front of her. The water was moving too fast though. _He'll never make it, _Kuwabara thought erratically, he wanted to help, but couldn't since this was a dream. Then Yoko took a daring move, by diving straight into the river. Moving in the same direction as the flow, he quickly caught up to her. Grabbing her carefully around the waist, he managed to swim them both to the side, instead of trying to fight the current. He pulled her shaking, unconscious form onto the grass in the bed of some tree roots, out of the way of any demons that happened to pass by. He did his best to quickly shake some of the water off of himself, and then proceeded to wring the girl's hair out. He quickly checked her back for any injuries, only to find that she had just hit her back and it would only bruise. He sighed in relief. Having no more energy to get them somewhere safer, he crawled up next to her to keep each other warm and gently wrapped his arms around her protectively. Then he drifted off to sleep after making sure that the tree roots hid them well enough. Kuwabara looked up just in time to see a pair of purple eyes and a mischievous grin._

Kuwabara woke with a start. "Man, he must've had the hots for her. I wonder who she was. Maybe this is why Kurama's been so freaked out. He's been havin' these scary dreams and then doesn't know what they mean. I'll bet he probably doesn't remember that girl. Though I don't know how he could forget a pretty face like that. Screw what Urameshi said, I'm gonna ask Kurama what's wrong. Maybe then I'll get some answers to my questions."

Kuwabara thought for a while before deciding to go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning. He was unaware that his spirit energy still had a connection to Kurama's, as was the person who kept causing the dreams.

_Yoko was running through the forest, coming back from one of his thieving escapades with Kuronue. _What? Oh no, not again, _Kuwabara thought. They both came to a well hidden clearing, where they could smell something that smelled good._ What's that smell? Smells good, _Kuwabara thought. "Dinner's ready," Kuronue said with a smirk. "Yum," Yoko said sarcastically, "Well, we must be thankful that you're not cooking." "HEY!" They both had a good laugh. Kuwabara saw the girl from before cooking something, which caused all the thieves present to give their appreciation for not letting Kuronue cook. Apparently whenever he cooked, most skipped dinner and others, desperate enough to eat it, ended up eating something burnt and not resembling whatever food it was supposed to be. Yoko had walked off somewhere, while Kuronue was gladly excepting some of the dinner, then he turned to see the retreating form of his friend. "Did something go wrong, Kuronue?" the girl asked quietly. Kuronue looked a bit confused. "No. No one died, and we got what we aimed for, plus a little more. Maybe you should go check on him," Kuronue suggested. If she hadn't been so worried, she might have been suspicious about the sudden grin on Kuronue's face. _Um. Should he be grinning like that? _Kuwabara said nervously. Kuwabara followed the girl to where Yoko was, he saw that Kuronue had also followed. "Yoko? Are you alright?" the girl asked quietly as she cautiously put one hand on his shoulder. "Hm? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. I got you something," Yoko said kindly, which amazed Kuwabara to no end, considering that he had been told that Yoko was cruel and vicious, not to mention that that was all he had ever seen of the fox demon. "Close your eyes," Yoko said softly as he stood up. The girl complied and closed her eyes. Yoko slid something over her head and around her neck. Kuwabara saw that it was a beautiful necklace. It had a silver chain which held a blue diamond in a swirly, silver casing at the end. "There. Now you can open your eyes," Yoko said with finality. Her eyes slid open and looked down at the jewel on the silver chain around her neck. She stared at it for a moment with wide eyes. Then she jumped forward and hugged Yoko. "It's beautiful. Thank you," she whispered. _Wow. Yep. Yoko definitely has the hots for her. But still, who is she? _Kuwabara wondered._

The dream faded and Kuwabara sat up groggily. "Well, that was interesting. Can I stop having your dreams now, Kurama? I'll have to talk to shorty about this later, since he's the only one who seems to care. Whoa, that was weird. Shorty caring? Heh, guess it's not all that impossible after all. Of course, Kurama is his best friend, even if he won't admit it. Gah! I'm insightful in the morning."

"Kazuma! Shut up! It's only 7 in the morning!" Shizuru yelled through the wall. "Seven, huh? Guess it's alright to go visit the temple now." Kuwabara got up and dressed. Then he left the house after telling Shizuru where he was going.

The walk down the road to Genkai's was uneventful and spent wondering who he should tell this to first. Hiei or Kurama? Or maybe Genkai? He decided he would visit Yukina first and then ask Hiei.

* * *

Just as Kuwabara had woken up, so had the redhead of the group. He had gone home that day, under Genkai's permission. He slowly woke up to find those dark brown eyes belonging to his mother staring down at him worriedly. "M-mother?" Kurama asked softly as he squinted up at his mother. "S-s-s-sh. It's ok, sweetie," she replied, running her fingers through his hair. 

"W-why are you here?" Kurama asked. "I was walking past your room and heard you mumbling something. You looked pained at first, then later, you looked confused. I was worried. Did you have a nightmare?" Kurama smiled reassuringly. "Not really. I'm alright mother."

"Then go back to sleep. It's still early and you look very tired." Kurama nodded and yawned. Then he rolled over and went back to sleep. Shiori got up from the side of his bed and went to leave the room, but paused at the doorway and looked back at her son. That reassurance and smile had seemed a bit forced to her. She sighed and left the room, carefully closing the door without making a sound, so as not to wake her son.

She was going to speak to Hatanaka-san about this; he always seemed to understand things like this and give her some good advice. "Did you find out something Shiori?" Hatanaka-san asked pleasantly. Shiori nodded.

"He hasn't been happy lately. Every smile or happy act is forced for our sake. I'm sure he thinks we won't notice. He hides a lot of things from me. And even more from you and Kokoda. I'm not sure if I understand him anymore, or if I ever did." Shiori sat down on the bed, next to Hatanaka.

"Don't talk that way, Shiori. It might just be a mood swing. We both had them when we were his age," Hatanaka suggested. Shiori sighed.

"I know that. But I'm fairly sure that that's not it. Just before he went to Genkai's temple, he seemed normal and happy. Now that he's back, he's so depressed and pained. So confused and lost. I just don't know what to do. A mother is supposed to help and guide her child, but I don't know how I can help him," Shiori whispered. She put her face in her hands.

"It'll be ok. If it'll make you feel any better, we can follow him the next time he goes to Genkai's. Then we can see what he really does there. We'll be able to see if there's anything there that would really upset him," Hatanaka replied soothingly. He put one hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry so much."

Shiori giggled slightly. "It's natural for a mother to worry. Alright. We'll follow him the next time he goes to Genkai's."

* * *

Kuwabara continued to trudge up the stairs to Genkai's. He sensed Hiei's energy about halfway up the stairs, along with Yukina's and Genkai's. Though, strangely enough, he could sense that Hiei and Genkai were in the same room, and Yukina was in the gardens behind the temple. 

_Maybe it would be better to talk to Genkai and Hiei first, then I'll have Yukina to cheer me up. Yeah, that's what I'll do._ Kuwabara entered the temple and wandered down the halls to where he could sense Genkai and Hiei. But he stopped just outside the doors to listen to what they were talking about. He knew it was rude and that he shouldn't, but he was curious after they mentioned Kurama.

"So you've noticed it too?" Hiei's rough, dark voice asked. "Yes. I also saw you two in the forest. Yes the entire thing Hiei," Genkai's old, but wise voice replied. Kuwabara heard Hiei growl.

"You should be a bit more open about the fact that you do consider him a friend. It's what he needs right now. I'm not sure what's going on, but if he looked that miserable, it certainly can't be good. You're the only friend he has right now that could possibly help him. Kuwabara doesn't know what's going on with him, Dimwit's too blind to notice his friend in pain, so that leaves you."

"Hn. I think that Kuwabara may actually have something, contrary to your opinion," Hiei said.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Genkai asked. Hiei opened the door and Kuwabara fell in.

"You're getting as bad as Botan, Kuwabara," Genkai said after taking a sip of tea. Kuwabara stumbled back up and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hn. What brings you here Kuwabara? If you're looking for Yukina, she's out back," Hiei said, slightly hoping the idiot would just leave. Kuwabara shook his head.

"Actually, you're the person I was looking for," Kuwabara stated seriously. He saw Hiei look at him in shock.

"Why?" Hiei asked. "I saw Kurama's dreams last night," Kuwabara stated seriously once more. Genkai leaned in at this and set her cup of tea down.

"What did you see Kuwabara?" Genkai demanded. Kuwabara sat carefully at the low table where Genkai and Hiei were sitting.

"I-I'm not exactly sure. But I know that someone is planting those dreams into his head. His dreams are really weird too. I saw two dreams. They both had a blue-haired girl in them, and Yoko. Actually, I think I saw Kurama's old partner, Kuronue, in them too. In the first one, I had looked up just in time to see him in the tree. And he followed them in the second dream. Come to think of it, it sounds kinda like he was playing matchmaker. I dunno. If you want, Hiei, you can look in my head. I'm pretty sure it's not as dangerous as trying to look in Kurama's."

"Well, I'm going to trust your judgment for now, considering I want to find out what's wrong with Kurama," Hiei said uncertainly. He reached to put his hand on Kuwabara's forehead.

"Show me as well," Genkai said after taking another sip of tea. Hiei reached over and put his other hand on her forehead. The two of them entered into Kuwabara's mind and watched the dreams.

**MA: I'm baaaaack. Heh heh heh. Well, I need all you lovely reviewers to review. I'm feeling English right now. And I bloody hate/love it. Oh no, I said bloody again! Ugh. This is what I get for reading excellent James/Lily fics in the Harry Potter section. **

**Yusuke: (Howling with laughter in background) It's hilarious...You talking with a British accent and everything! Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!**

**Kurama: (snickering) I'll have to agree with Yusuke on this one. It's very comical.**

**MA: Oh shut it. I've heard you two do it plenty of times. In fact, I think I may have recorded it somewhere. **

**Yusuke and Kurama: WHAT!**

**MA: Yes. It's somewhere. Though I doubt you'll find it in this mess.**

**Yusuke: Ok, this is getting annoying now. Can't you just go back to speaking German and confusing the hell out of us?**

**MA: Ja, I s'pose so. Schpreken ze Deutsch? (I apologize if I spelled that wrong, for all you German-speakers out there)**

**Kurama: Umm. I'm going to take a chance and guess what you said, not to mention use the only German vocabulary I have. Nein.**

**MA: Ah. Ja, ja.**

**Yusuke: (completely confused look) What did you say Kurama?**

**Kurama: I said no. I think she said 'do you speak German'.**

**Yusuke: Oh.**

**MA: I'll say this once, because mein kopf hurts. REVIEW!**

**Yusuke: Uhhhh, 'mein kopf'?**

**Kurama: I believe she said 'my head'. But I'm just guessing.**

**MA: Ja, fuchs-junge! (gives Kurama a hug)**

**Yusuke: Kurama?**

**Kurama: No clue.**

**MA: Review bitte!**


	5. Search for Anything

**Alrighty then! I'm back on the internet. I sincerely apologize to all of my reviewers and other people that read my story. During Christmas break, I was moving. I lost the internet, but I just got it back. Whoohoo! Only now it's stupid dial-up. Oh well, at least it's high-speed. Now, I would like to thank Demon of Evilness, demonfo6, Lonelyfox, neko kitkat, sugar high water uma, OneOutOfControlChick, and kill-me911. Thank you all! (takes bow)**

**Chapter 5: Search for Anything**

Kurama started up the stairs to Genkai's. He was afraid of his mother being able to hear anything else and planned on asking Genkai if he could stay. These dreams were really getting to him, and he needed to figure out all this in seclusion. He was slightly dizzy from all the thoughts circulating in his mind, and occasionally he almost tripped on one of the stairs.

Behind him, Shiori, Hatanaka, and Kokoda were following him and panting hard. It was a bit of a miracle that Kurama was thinking too much to notice them there. They were amazed to see that 'Suichi' was climbing up the stairs without even breathing hard. They determinedly followed behind him, trying to be carefully hidden. Shiori was sure that she would be sore tomorrow, not to mention that this would be a good workout for her.

She watched her son reach the top of the steps, and the three spies soon followed. They were careful to conceal themselves in the trees until he entered the temple. He did, but slid closed the door a little harder than he meant to, and ended up breaking it.

They followed him through the winding corridors in the temple to a certain room. They watched him from behind a corner as he quickly slid open the door, and grabbed something from inside, then quickly shut the door once more and turned to continue down the hall.

"What do you think you're doing with those videos, Kurama?" came a harsh voice. "I'm going to analyze my fighting style and look for any flaws in it. Besides, I need to get my mind off of something. I hope you don't mind if I stay for a few days," came 'Suichi's' voice, only it had a colder tone to it now.

"Fine. But you have to get up for training tomorrow morning with the others," the harsh voice said nonchalantly. They saw 'Suichi' walk away, down another hallway. Then they heard footsteps coming toward them.

"You can come out now; the only person who's not going to notice you're there is your son. And that's only because he's losing his mind," the harsh voice said. The person owning the voice stepped around the corner to face them.

"Oh. Master Genkai. Um," Shiori began nervously. "Don't worry. I know why you're here, but I doubt that you'll get any answers, seeing as the rest of us don't know either," She gestured to Hiei and Kuwabara, who had walked out after Kurama had left, "and we're the only ones who have noticed that something is wrong with him. The others are purposefully or unintentionally being blissfully ignorant. The bliss only being on their side."

"Oh. Um, alright. Wait, what do you mean 'he's losing his mind'?" Shiori asked. Genkai sighed.

"I'm not sure of that myself. He won't tell us what's wrong with him. Not even Hiei, who's his best friend," Genkai said, turning her head to look at Hiei.

"Hn. Friends are merely crutches for the weak. I need no friends," Hiei denied. Kuwabara hit him on the back. "That's not very nice Hiei," Kuwabara glowered.

"Baka. I'm not nice," Hiei growled ferociously. Then he stormed off down the hall and out a set of doors, leading to the side garden. Most likely to watch Yukina.

"Hey! I _thought_ you were gonna help us figure out what's wrong with Kurama and why he blacked out that one day! You're not a good friend! Who would want you to be their friend anyway? You're such an antisocial grump," Kuwabara grumbled to himself, unknowingly revealing that there was, in fact, something very wrong with the redhead to his family. "Oh crud. I forgot they were there."

"Um, who's Kurama?" Hatanaka asked obliviously. "_Dad_, you're so dense sometimes. I've heard them call Suichi that millions of times. It's obviously his nickname, or _maybe_ even an alibi name," Kokoda groaned frustrated.

"Come with us. We have to search for a few things in my library. Need of info, you see. It's close to impossible to understand your enemy when you haven't done enough research on them, and their fighting style, to understand them, and their tactics and weaknesses. I tell Yusuke that all the time, but he never listens. It even works in the same case as what I think may be the problem with Kurama," Genkai muttered as she led the way to a rather large room in the center of the temple.

It was a library filled with innumerous amounts of books and scrolls inside. There were many mats scattered in different sections of the library. It was covered with a thin layer of dust; obviously, no one had been there to clean recently.

"Um, Genkai? Where are we supposed to look, and what are we looking for, exactly?" Kuwabara asked awkwardly. Genkai, instead of answering the question, walked to a certain secluded section of the library in the back. There was much more dust back here, so obviously it had been forgotten and nobody had been here in a long time. Kuwabara swore that he could see his footprints in the dust, it was so thick.

The Hatanaka, formerly Minamino/Hatanaka, family followed quickly and a little too eagerly behind the two psychics; completely forgotten by Genkai and Kuwabara. They watched the two peruse the shelves quickly. Kuwabara seemed to be taking scrolls and books at random (He was really using his sixth sense to guess at books that would be most helpful) seeing as he would step in the center of the circle of shelves, close his eyes in concentration, and then run forward and grab something off the shelf to quickly glance through its contents.

Genkai paused to watch him with a look of amusement on her face, quickly told him good idea (reason completely unknown to others besides Kuwabara), and searched the books by looking through their table of contents, she left searching the scrolls to Kuwabara.

Though Kuwabara could be accounted for as a dunce sometimes and he really hated searching through libraries, he was determined to help his friend. Therefore, he focused all his mental powers on finding something that could help the kitsune.

He was smarter than most people gave him credit for. He had already figured out that this had something to do with Yoko Kurama's past, that strange girl whose name hadn't been spoken, and Kuronue. _Those three had been in both the dreams. Now, if the dreams really were being planted inside Kurama's head, and if they were actually memories, then either the girl with the blue hair or Kuronue was doing this._

_Wait. No one knows who the girl is. Maybe Koenma would have some records on her. It's definitely possible. _Kuwabara thought. "Hey Genkai? I think it's time to take Koenma up on his offer to help," he said as he paused between bending down to grab a scroll.

"Why do you say that?" Genkai asked. "If these dreams are really some of Kurama's lost memories, and someone is trying to get him to remember, then the only people who could put the memories in his head would have to be someone who was there. So it would have to be either the girl or Kuronue. So we need to know if either of them have the ability to do this."

"Kuwabara. I'm not used to you being so smart and logical. Either stop, or do this more often so that I can get used to it," Genkai said jokingly. Kuwabara looked indignantly at the old psychic.

"I'm not an idiot, ya know. I just wasn't that smart back then. I'm in a good high school now, and I've got pretty good grades. I've been studying really hard (thanks to Shizuru, he mumbled) and I'm not as stupid as Urameshi, who stopped attending school," Kuwabara said huffily. He crossed his arms and half-heartedly glared at Genkai.

"We'll drop by there later and check, after we're finished here," Genkai said, once more busying herself in searching for something. She smiled slightly when she searched one book. She flipped through a few pages to somewhere in the middle and read through something, mumbling to herself all the while.

Kuwabara looked over to her. "Hey, did you find somethin'?" he asked curiously. "It says here that in order to find all of your lost memories, instead of remembering them slowly over time, you can find something significant that is missing in the memories you are recovering in order to remember everything at once. That's helpful," Genkai said, the last bit being sarcastic.

"So what was something significant that was missing in Kurama's memories?" Kuwabara pondered to himself. They carefully thought through the two memories that they had seen trying to find what was missing.

"The girl's name!" they both exclaimed simultaneously. "Well, it seems like we will need Koenma's help after all. I guess we're going to see the toddler brat now," Genkai declared curtly. Genkai stood up and walked towards the family behind them that had been forgotten, and Kuwabara followed.

"Hey, I forgot you were there," Kuwabara said dumbly. (MA: That's what I just said you moron! Kuwabara: Yeah, well……you're the one who's typing this! MA: 'gasp' You're right.) Genkai stepped forward and looked Shiori straight in the eyes.

"Shiori, Kuwabara and I need to go somewhere to see if we can find something that will help your son. Keep an eye on him for me," Genkai began to walk off, "Come on Kuwabara." The two left the room, while Kurama's family went searching for Kurama.

The family decided to split up, since the temple was so big. Shiori was first to find him. She saw him sitting on the floor, watching a TV with an emotionless expression on his face. She prayed that he wouldn't notice if she went in. She snuck quickly and quietly through the door and behind her son. It seemed to be her lucky day, as he hadn't given any sign of noticing her.

She curiously looked to the screen that her son was so transfixed upon. What she saw, what she now knew……

**MA: ...won't be told if I don't get any reviews.**

**Yusuke: (glowers) You just had to stop there, didn't you?**

**MA: Yeah. Now go get me another cough drop and box of tissues. Stupid cold.**

**Yusuke: Hey! You can't order me around!**

**MA: I can if you don't want to catch my cold.**

**Yusuke: Oh. Fine. (leaves)**

**MA: Finally. Now I can type without him looking over my shoulder. Well, I hope you enjoyed the update. Now review!**

**Yusuke: Hey, I got your cough drop, but I couldn't find a box of tissues.**

**MA: That's fine. (pops cough drop into mouth) Mmmm. Cherry flavor. **

**Kurama: (pops up out of nowhere) Hi guys. Whatcha doin'?**

**Yusuke: MA caught a cold and got to stay home from school. So she updated a chapter.**

**Kurama: That's nice. Well, they better review. **

**Yusuke: Yeah! Review!**

**MA: (hacking fit) ...cough...cough...what they said...cough...**


	6. Untold Secrets

**Hey guys! Look, I'm not dead! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I just had writer's block for a while and my computer shut down on me at random times, causing me to lose my train of thought. I'm so glad that you guys are reading this story, because personally, this is my favorite. Well, I should probably get on with the story now. And'cause I can't remember who all reviewed my story since my last update, I'll just say: THANKS EVERYONE!**

**And to neko kitkat: I honestly don't know how you can get your account back if you can't remember the email address. You'll probably just have to start a new account.**

**Chapter 6: Untold Secrets**

…was unbelievable. What she saw seemed to snap some logical puzzle pieces together in her mind as she watched with horror. All the blood. It was horrifying. When had this happened?

She saw her son lay motionless on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. He was covered in numerous injuries, and bleeding severely from all of them. The strangest part was: these wounds didn't appear to be from knives or blades of any sort. From watching the news so often on TV (mainly about the war in Iraq), she recognized these as wounds from a bomb or some sort of explosion. It was horrible to imagine what could've possibly happened to her son.

Then there was the man standing before him, though she didn't know who he was, she guessed he was the one who had harmed her son. She held back a brief flare of anger at that thought and carefully observed the man.

He wore a black trench coat and black pants, with a black shirt that was ripped down the front, exposing his bleeding chest. The man wore black boots as well, and had purple eyes. Purple. What a strange color. He must have used contacts or something, she thought momentarily. The man also had long, wavy blond hair, and he had some sort of smug smirk on his face and a maniacal glint in his eyes.

She faintly heard the commentary in the background. A female voice saying, "The crowd is going wild here, and rightly so! Kurama's down and I don't think he's getting back up!" The commentator screeched from surprise as a male voice suddenly yelled into the microphone, "Just do it! We don't have all day!" Shiori shivered at the thought of what he meant. The commentator seemed to be snatching her microphone back because she had just yelled, "Gimme that you big oaf! Aah! Juri, count! Please for the love of good hygiene, count!"

The referee in the ring, who looked like a blue fish-girl, ran forward yelling, "Okay! He has until the count of ten! If he stays down, Karasu wins! One! Two! Three! Four," there was tumultuous cheering in the background, "Five! Six! Seven!"

Suichi, or as they were calling him, Kurama, began to get up. He slowly moved onto his hands and knees, and quickly looked up. There was newfound determination glinting in his eyes. The man in the black trench coat—Karasu, thereferee had called him—said something, but it was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd. If only she knew how to read lips.

Karasu raised one hand and then moved it out in front of him, as if he were throwing something at Suichi. Shiori anxiously waited to see what was going to happen next.

Then the screen went black. She quickly turned her head to see that Suichi had hit the power button on the television. He seemed a bit scared after watching that. "Can't believe I lost to that bastard," she just barely heard him murmur. He collected up the tapes he had brought and quickly walked out of the room.

Shiori just stood there, seemingly shell-shocked. Pictures of her son lying in a pool of blood flashed through her mind. The blood, the wounds, the charred, tattered, and bloody clothes; each picture vividly and freshly printed in her mind, it was so horrifying. She vaguely wondered how Suichi could stand these memories, after all, he had experienced them first-hand. _He probably still remembers the pain. How can he act so normal? As if nothing ever happened?_

She decided to seek out the rest of her family, but also decided not to tell them of what she had seen. For some odd reason, she didn't feel comfortable telling them at the moment. She wasn't sure if she could bear to repeat it. As she walked out the door she thought she saw a flash of black at a corner up ahead, but waved it off as her imagination and continued down a the hallway to her left.

* * *

_Dammit. She saw,_ Hiei mentally cursed as he hid behind the corner, listening to see if she was coming his way. He sighed in relief when he heard her turn the other way. He continued on his own way when he was sure she was gone. 

"Where the hell could Genkai have gone?" he muttered to himself with frustration. "Even that idiot Kuwabara is gone." He turned a corner and found himself face to face with Yusuke.

"Oh, hey Hiei," Yusuke greeted pleasantly. "What the hell are you doing here?" Hiei growled back, glaring at the half-demon before him.

"Geez, what's got your panties in a knot?" Yusuke asked back. Hiei continued to glare at the affronted teen before him. Yusuke sighed. "Well if you must know, I came here to find Kuwabara. Shizuru's all mad 'cause apparently he left without telling her where he was going or leaving a note. And now she won't leave me alone."

"Hn. Kuwabara came by here about 7 in the morning. I'm willing to bet that he did tell her, but told her while she was still half asleep and she forgot. Anyway, he's not here. Now get out of the way and leave me alone, I'm trying to find Genkai," Hiei growled fiercely. He shoved Yusuke out of the way and continued down the hall.

Yusuke glared at Hiei's back as he got up. "Someone forgot to take their happy pills this morning. Lousy, good-for-nothing grouch," he mumbled angrily, brushing himself off and heading in the opposite direction.

Since Kuwabara wasn't here, he started to head out. _But then again,_ he thought, _Shizuru's not here to pester me. Maybe I'll just stay here for a little while._ He turned a few more corners and headed towards the kitchen. He knew there were still some leftover muffins in there, and boy did he love muffins!

As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Kurama holding a cup of tea shakily, leaning up against the counter. He stared at the cup of tea, took a quick sip, closed his eyes, and sighed. He seemed pretty shaken up.

"Hey man. You okay?" Yusuke asked worriedly, coming closer to the kitsune. Kurama looked up with wide eyes, not having heard Yusuke come in.

"I'm fine," Kurama lied. He found it odd that Yusuke appeared unaware of how strange he must've been acting, but appreciated the fact that there was someone who didn't treat him as if he were an extremely sensitive and fragile creature that was on his deathbed. He understood that they were worried, but he wasn't weak.

"If you say so," Yusuke responded as he dug through the fridge, "Want a muffin?" He held out a muffin to Kurama, who gratefully accepted it. "So," Yusuke started, leaning next to Kurama and nibbling on his muffin, "How's life?"

Kurama chuckled. "Life's fine. A little unsettling and confusing at the moment, but otherwise fine." Count on Yusuke to brighten things up a bit. Yusuke nodded and smiled in response.

* * *

The figure stood in a shadowed tree by the kitchen window, watching the pair in the kitchen. _Mmmm……Those muffins look good. Wait, what am I thinking? Gah, concentrate on business._ The figure hit itself over the head to induce its concentration. _This is not working as well as I thought it would. I have to hurry.

* * *

_

Genkai sighed as she, Kuwabara, and Jorge continued to search through files in Reikai's library. Luckily for them, Reikai had a way of narrowing down the files to search in case they had needed to find information on someone, but did not know the person's name.

They had managed to narrow it down by gender, hair color, and eye color. But there were still a lot of blue-haired, green-eyed females in Makai. Kuwabara looked at his watch after throwing aside yet another manila folder. **7:53**. It was starting to get late.

"Genkai?" Kuwabara asked cautiously, looking at the pink-haired woman across from him. She grunted in response, motioning for him to continue. "It's starting to get late back in Ningenkai. We should probably head back. My sister might start to get worried if I'm gone too long," he informed her.

Genkai sighed, knowing he was right. "Alright, but first let's move the ones we've already checked into a pile." They quickly moved the files into two separate piles, while Jorge left the order for the piles not to be disturbed. Then the two left Reikai through a portal and landed back at the temple.

Kuwabara started to head towards the stairs, but Genkai stopped him. "It might be better if you stayed here tonight. That way we can get an early start tomorrow." "But what about-?" Kuwabara started, but Genkai interrupted. "I'll call your sister." Kuwabara nodded and they both walked back to the temple.

Kuwabara went to one of the spare rooms in the back of the temple. He had the suspicion that there was another reason Genkai wanted him to stay, but decided against it. After all, he would probably find out eventually.

Genkai came in just as Kuwabara had finished changing into the spare pajamas that he kept at the temple for emergency use. Shizuru had said that it was fine for him to stay there, and Genkai now decided to tell him why she wanted him here. She sat idly on the floor as Kuwabara brushed his teeth and, after a few minutes, he sat in front of her.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm asking you to stay here." At this, he nodded slightly. She continued on, "I want you here in case you are still connected to Kurama. It will be quicker to relay his dreams to myself and Hiei if you are here. Also, I'm not sure if you can remain connected to his mind if you are so far away. I'm not willing to risk it. Besides, we can continue our search sooner if you are here." She shrugged slightly.

Kuwabara nodded in understanding. Although he didn't like being in Kurama's dreams—more because he didn't like invading his friend's privacy than because the dreams creeped him out—he still agreed, knowing that it was their only lead towards helping him. But he had a bad feeling about tonight. He didn't know why.

And with that thought, he went to bed and Genkai left the room.

* * *

After Yusuke and Kurama had left the kitchen,—Kurama going to his room and Yusuke going to ask Genkai if he could stay the night, since he didn't feel like walking home this late—the figure from the trees had moved in to steal the remaining muffins. It sat in a tree near Kurama's bedroom window munching on muffins, waiting for the redhead to fall asleep. 

One of the last few pieces of its scheme was to go into effect that night. _I'm going to give that fox something to mull over. He should begin to understand after this_, the figure thought with a smirk. _He needs to realize what's really going on. But he should do it on his own. I really had no choice in blocking the detective's concern. He only would have made things worse by pummeling information out of the fox. _The figure smiled in triumph at his accomplishment.

* * *

Yusuke, having met Genkai at the phone and been given her permission to stay, was going to sleep in his own room. He'd been having this nagging feeling in the back of his mind for a while, but hadn't known what to think about it. The nagging feeling had become more pronounced when he was talking to Kurama. 

He noticed he'd visited the temple more frequently in the past few weeks and he had no idea why. It seemed to him as though something was subtly telling him to come here, that something was wrong with this picture and he needed to figure out what it was.

During his visits, he'd also noticed that Hiei was more aggravated and frustrated with him then normal, and he still couldn't for the life of him figure out why. It was as though he'd done something wrong, but had no clue what. He reflected on what he'd done in the past few weeks, trying to figure out what he'd done to set the fire demon off.

He vaguely remembered coming to train at the temple with Kurama and Kuwabara. He also vaguely remembered going to Koenma's that same day. But his memories were unclear and he could only just barely recall them.

Yusuke gave a frustrated groan and pushed Hiei's attitude out of his mind. It was like a puzzle, and Yusuke generally hated puzzles. He preferred things simple and easy to understand, and that was something this was not. He dragged his mind towards today when he'd been talking to Kurama.

The kitsune had been quieter and more soft-spoken than usual today. Yusuke remembered briefly thinking that maybe the fox was ill, but one good look at Kurama had dismissed that thought. Yusuke had noticed something in the kitsune's normally calm eyes. Sadness. And confusion. And other strange emotions swirled openly in the kitsune's eyes and expression. That nagging feeling in his head came back, and he was getting really sick of it.

He leaned back into his pillow and yawned noisily. He'd think about it in the morning. Right now he was going to get some sleep.

* * *

Kurama sighed as he entered his room. He changed into his own pajamas and went to sit by the large window in his room. The scenery from the window's view was beautiful and that was why Genkai had given him this room, because he was one of the only ones who would appreciate the natural beauty. 

The view was even more breathtaking at night. The forest was not too far away from where his room was, and small slivers of moonlight shone through the leaves. Fireflies floated around the open field that stood between the temple and the forest, while the full effects of the moonlight gave the grass a silvery sheen as it swayed in the wind. The moon itself shone brilliantly in the night sky surrounded by twinkling stars just above the tops of the trees. It was not quite full yet, but close.

But the red-haired kitsune was not looking at the view tonight; he merely stared unseeingly out of his window. His mind clouded with thought, he just barely caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. But when he tried to see what it was, it had gone. He waved it off as Hiei or a bird.

He was somewhat hesitant to go to sleep tonight. He'd been finding it difficult to concentrate on anything for very long, and he felt that these dreams, or memories, or whatever they were, were taking a toll on his sanity. These dreams left him feeling emotionally exhausted and depressed. And yet, there was another part of him that wanted to see the next memory, but he couldn't figure out why.

Eventually, Kurama moved away from the window and settled himself on his beddings, feeling weary from the day's events. He quickly fell into a deep sleep, unknowing of the torment his mind was about to go through.

**MA: And your just gonna have to wait until I update again to know what that torment is. Someone told me that these little notes I put at the bottom make me sound like I'm begging. Am I? 'Cause if it sounds like I'm begging, then I'll stop. Now I need to shut my dogs up. Excuse me. (walks to window next to computer) (yelling at dogs)**

**Kurama: (looks out window) Hey, is that a rabbit I see?**

**MA: Yes. And no to your next question.**

**Kurama: (whines) But I only wanted to chase it.**

**MA: I already said no. I have no inclination to witness you massacre a little rabbit right outside of my window.**

**Kurama: (pouts) Fine.**

**MA: Please review, guys.**

**Kurama: Chopped rabbit, rabbit stew, skewered rabbit, fried rabbit, raw rabbit...**

**MA: RAW RABBIT?**

**Kurama: Yes. It's quite good, actually.**

**MA: That's disgusting.**

**Kurama: Oh look. It's another rabbit. (whines)**

**MA: I honestly don't want to hear this right now.**

**Kurama: But I'm hungry now.**

**MA: I'll make dinner in a few minutes. Just hold on.**

**Yusuke: (walks in) We're not having microwaved ramen _again_, are we?**

**MA: So what if we are?**

**Yusuke: But that's all we've had in the past two weeks!**

**Kurama: Except for those carrots, onions, and celery we hadlast Sunday.**

**MA: Don't team up on me!**

**Yusuke and Kurama: But it's true!**

**MA: So?**

**Yusuke and Kurama: (sigh) We give up.**

**MA: By the way, Happy 4th of July, everybody!**

**Yusuke: Fireworks!**


End file.
